A number of techniques have been used in the past to manufacture turbine engine components, such as turbine blades using ceramic matrix composites (CMC). One method of manufacturing CMC components, set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,015,540; 5,330,854; and 5,336,350; incorporated herein by reference and assigned to the Assignee of the present invention, relates to the production of silicon carbide matrix composites containing fibrous material that is infiltrated with molten silicon, herein referred to as the Silcomp process. The fibers generally have diameters of about 140 micrometers or greater, which prevents intricate, complex shapes, such as turbine blade components, to be manufactured by the Silcomp process.
Another technique of manufacturing CMC turbine blades is the method known as the slurry cast melt infiltration (MI) process. A technical description of such a slurry cast MI method is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,550 B1, which is assigned to the Assignee of the present invention and which is incorporated herein by reference. In one method of manufacturing using the slurry cast MI method, CMCs are produced by initially providing plies of balanced two-dimensional (2D) woven cloth comprising silicon carbide (SiC)-containing fibers, having two weave directions at substantially 90° angles to each other, with substantially the same number of fibers running in both directions of the weave.
Generally, such turbine components require attachment to adjoining metallic hardware and/or metallic surfaces. Two disadvantages associated with attaching a CMC to metallic hardware are the wear of the metallic hardware by the hard, abrasive ceramic material surface, and the lack of load distribution in the CMC. Load distribution is critical in blade dovetail/disk interfaces. Typically, metallic shims or ceramic cloth have been interposed between the CMC and metallic surfaces to improve load distribution. Wear is typically handled by the application of coatings to the metallic hardware or coatings to the blade attachment surfaces as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,377, incorporated herein by reference and assigned to the Assignee of the present invention.
What is needed is a method of manufacturing CMC turbine engine components that provides an interface layer on the CMC to improve load distribution within the CMC and reduce metallic wear. A favorable method would apply the interface layer during densification of the CMC.